1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data distribution system and data distribution method capable of distributing arbitrary data relating to copyrighted material such as music copyrighted material and picture copyrighted material for example, while performing appropriate copy control such as appropriate billing, to a data recording/playing device used for such a system, a data processing device used with such a device, a data use control device used with such a data processing device for realizing the above copy control, and a machine-readable recording medium on which is recorded distribution data which enables such data distribution.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Serial Copy Management System (SCMS) which is the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)stipulation agreed upon at the time of introducing Digital Audio Tape (DAT) into the marketplace has long been, and currently still is, widely used as a copy control method for digital output of digital equipment.
The SCMS is made up of a copy control bit and a category code.
The copy control bits are bits representing the state whether or not the contents can be copied, and the category code are bits representing the path, of from what sort of media or what sort of network the contents were previously recorded.
The copy control bits are made up of two bits, and the combinations of these two bits make for the four modes shown in Table 1, whereby copy control is carried out.
TABLE 10, 0Copy Free0, 1No More Copies1, 0Copy One Generation1, 1Never Copy
Other various copy control methods are being considered besides SCMS, but consideration is being given to as much SCMS-compatibility as possible, in order to deal with the massive SCMS infrastructure built so far.
For example, the CCI (Copy Control Information) and CGMS-A/D (Copy Generation Management System) being considered by the CPTWG (Copy Protection Technical Working Group) which is an operation organization of the copyright-related industry started to deal with DVD-ROM copyright protection issues, and the EMI-CCI (Encryption Mode Indicator-CCI) used with the 1394CP (Content Protection) which is a copyright protection measure for inter-equipment (home electronics) digital interfaces, but all of these end up simply changing the names of the SCMS copy control bits and continuing to use the same.
FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating the flow (series) of copies being made according to the SCMS. As can be clearly understood from FIG. 34, SCMS basically follows the logic of allowing copies to be made from a parent generation to child generations, but forbids copying from child generations to grandchild generations. Accordingly, copies can be made infinitely from parent generations to child generations.
Note that in the following description, these terms shall be understood to apply: the series in the direction from parent to child to grandchild shall be referred to as “serial generations”, and the series in the sideways direction from the parent shall be referred to as “parallel generation”.
It can be conceived that the reason that infinite copying is permitted in the parallel generation direction is so that the individual who has purchased the ROM media can make many copies for personal use, such as for portable devices, car-mounted devices, and so forth, and in fact, many individuals do use the system in such a manner.
Now, rapid digitizing of broadcast networks, communication networks, and home electronics has necessitated the advent of high-level technology such as encryption technology and electronic watermarking technology, as a system to protect copyrights of digital contents. Further, the present state has reached a point which SCMS cannot deal with, even as a system to control copying.
Specifically, the following problems with copy control have been pointed out by the copyright ing side of music copyright material for example, and countermeasures are awaited.
Note here that the term “copyrighting side” is an blanket term including record companies, copyright holders (music writers, lyric writers, arrangers, etc.), adjacent copyright holders (performers, producers and production companies, record companies, etc.), and right-related groups (JASRAC, which is a copyright monitoring organization, SARAH, which is a private recording council, etc.), and so forth.
First, the copyrighting side has pointed out the problem that (1) copying of rented packaged media that has been legally purchased cannot be limited.
For example, in the event that one legally purchases a packaged media and lends it to a friend, the friend is capable of making as many copies as he/she wants to, to his/her recording media. Lending the packaged media to multiple friends allows each of them to make an infinite number of copies to their recording media. Moreover, in the event that one legally purchases a packaged media and copies this to a recording medium, and distributes this to a friend, the friend can obtain the contents for free.
Such a state amounts to great damages for the copyrighting side, and there are requests to restrict such copying, so that in the above example all of the friends would purchase packaged media legally.
Also, the copyrighting side has pointed out the problem that (2) copying of packaged media rented from rental businesses cannot be sufficiently limited.
The copyrighting side has been imposing and collecting a monetary amount based on the sales of rental businesses, but in fact copies are being made one after another from the rented media in the manner described above, and there are requests to fundamentally limit this. Also, it has been pointed out that rental CDs, and CD singles in particular, are often inexpensively recorded onto tapes and MDs for portable devices, so the price of legally-sold CD singles in record shops tends to appear excessively high in the eyes of users, which is also an indirect disadvantage.
Also, there are requests to (3) restrict one-to-many simultaneous copying (simultaneously copying from one to multiple of the same type of media). This is because it is highly inconceivable that simultaneously copying from one to multiple media of the same type would occur in normal home use, and that such type of copying is most likely performed for commercial use.
Further, there are requests to (4) restrict one-to-many copying over time (copying from one to multiple of the same type of media, one after another). This is because it is highly inconceivable that making dozens of the same copy would occur with making private copies, and that such type of copying is most likely performed for commercial use.
Such various types of problems regarding copy control of digital contents are being pointed out from the copyrighting side, and it should be noted that each of these problems arise from the fact that the SCSM permits an infinite number of copies to be made in parallel generations.
Problem (1) arises from individuals purchasing ROM packaged media and copying this to RAM media for distributing to friends for free, or lending the ROM media for the friends to make their own copies. Copying in parallel generations had been originally permitted for media purchasers to make private copies, but unlimited copying in parallel generations is allowed since there is no way to tell whether a copy is being recorded for the media purchasers use or other wise, thus resulting in the current phenomena.
Problem (2) is the same, with the owner of the ROM media being the rental record business, which operate by allowing multiple undefined individuals to make recordings onto RAM media. This problem also comes from the fact that infinite numbers of copies can be made in the parallel generation direction.
This also holds with problems (3) and (4), for making many commercial copies from one, whether simultaneously or over a period of time.
Now, such problems could be solved simply be limiting the number of copies for parallel generations. However, severely restricting the number of copies for parallel generations would lead to voiding the already-had rights of users to make private copies.